In a short documentary called Andante, viewers can now witness a cellist's puzzling excursion to her most out-of-the-way concert venue: a mountaintop. That's right, Ruth Boden, an instructor of cello, bass, and chamber music at Washington State University, recently embarked on a hike to the top of the Matterhorn (in Oregon state), while carrying a cello on her back. She traveled with a small "film crew of one" according to CMuse, with the ultimate goal of performing Bach's cello suite at the summit, in an environment she says feels superior to that of the recital hall.

A well-crafted a church appeals as much to the eyes as to the ears. As Western music was so heavily intertwined with the church throughout history, you can imagine that a lot of major compositions first came to life in some of the world's most magnificent churches. As the dominant musical figure at St. Thomas Church in Leipzig, Johann Sebastian Bach had this privilege many times over.

A weekend in Montreal--at least one like that of November 20, into which I was fortunate enough to air-drop--can seem like a build-your-own festival. Canada loves its fests. And Montreal has more of them than any other city in the country, with over 100 arts, comedy, food and fashion fêtes across the year. While the premiere of the Opéra de Montreal's production of Elektra was the reason for my visit, I was also able to attend the opening concert of the city's Bach Festival and a couple of concerts in the city's fertile (and under recognized) jazz scene. Most everything happens within walking distance of downtown. And meal breaks at Foodlab in the impressive Société des Arts Technologiques building (an excellent gnocchi with roasted Brussels sprout leaves) and the tasty Qing Hua Dumpling in nearby Chinatown, a weekend in downtown Montreal proved to be as enjoyable as it was easily navigable.

The Performing Arts Center at Purchase College in Purchase New York is welcoming the Apollo's Fire Baroque Orchestra and Chorus to their stage. They will be performing Bach's St. John Passion on Sunday March 13th at 3 P.M. Tickets vary from $40 to $70 dollars and are on sale now. The address of PAC is 735 Anderson Hill Rd.

As a classical guitarist, Miloš Karadaglić was reared in the strict and serious tradition of Bach, Segovia, and other classical guitar masters. But there's a branch of modern music in which he experiences similar challenges and just as rewarding of an experience. His latest project, Blackbird - The Beatles Album, released on January 15th, 2016, reflects his BBC claim: that "the Beatles are as important as Bach" when it comes to western music canon. In comparing the Beatles to Bach (whose lute suites are some of the most challenging works for modern guitar), Miloš assured the BBC that he was "never worried" his Beatles project would become "something light - because I'm not light, nor is the music."

It's not often that classical music critics must preface their performance reviews with a phrase singularly applied to popular television, that being "Spoiler alert." But as it's been reported, artist Marina Abramović and pianist Igor Levit brought to life Bach's "Goldberg Variations" on Monday at the Park Avenue Armory--and to mass appeal.

Mark O'Connor has allotted himself the time and patience to craft an entire new perspective on American string education. A Grammy-winning composer and violin virtuoso, his ability to revolutionize an entire genre of performance teaching is unfettered. And he brings his methods to New York City for a summer camp program devoted specifically devoted to his teachings this summer.

The fluttering, genteel tenor of Rufus Müller, and his role as St. John the Evangelist, might be enough to ease the spirit of Easter into any autumn day. But to be accurate, it was the entirety of the American Classical Orchestra (ACO), under the helm of Thomas Crawford (cooperating with a host of vocal treasures, including that of Rufus Muller, Teresa Wakim and Paul Max Tipton) that brought out the luster of J.S. Bach's liturgical masterpiece, 'St. John Passion' on November 3rd at Lincoln Center.

It isn't unexpected or completely otherworldly for some of the classical world's foremost musicians to have life-long collaborators. For iconic cellist Yo-Yo Ma, pianist Kathryn Stott remains not just a collaborator, but a longtime friend--worthy of sharing both a stage and the bill for their new album, released today (September 18) on Sony Classical/Masterworks. Together, the duo's disc tis aptly name 'Songs from the Arc of Life.' A seemingly intimidating title, actually, the 19 tracks here are more like cadences, respites from their time together that, because life moves so fast, just have not been put to record. Of course, Ma and Stott are exploring a bit, too, offering new contents to their expansive repertoire.

For the tenth anniversary of Dr. Robert Moog's death, Moog Music Inc. has rebuilt the original large format modular synthesizer (or 'System 55'), and has staged a limited re-release of its vintage equipment down to its vintage specifications. Taking advantage of this opportunity, composer and producer Craig Leon has worked with Sony Classical to orchestrate the works of Bach for an electronic release called 'Bach to Moog'.

Alas, we are closing in on the final weeks of this summer's Mostly Mozart Festival. Fear not, though, Classicalites. The home stretch of Mostly Mozarts past there at Lincoln Center have always been filled with must-hear performers in don't-miss programming, and this 2015 iteration is hardly going out with a whimper. Case in point: the much-awaited American stage premiere of British composer George Benjamin's love-hate opera, 'Written on Skin.' Starring Barbara Hannigan and Christopher Purves in the viscerally erotic roles they, themselves, originated, outgoing New York Philharmonic music director Alan Gilbert leads the Mahler Chamber Orchestra in what's fast becoming the most revered English-language opera in some two decades.

As per Classical Music Magazine, the City of London Sinfonia (CLS) has announced its 2015-16 season, RE:Imagine, which features re-imaginations of old works and premieres of new ones commissioned especially for the upcoming season.

If one were to scour the vast libraries of YouTube for fast food restaurant brawls, one might find a buffet of altercations taking place at Wendy's, IHOP and so on. However, for Scotland's busiest McDonalds, a new regiment of classical music is being played in order to simmer down the revolting public.

Italian-born classical guitarist Emanuele Cintura Torrent is unique in his approach to art. For him, music has a reverential quality that extends beyond the notes--free from sharps, flats and meter. Yes, his approach looks past the music. To Maestro Torrente, music is thought. Classicalite recently sat down with Maestro Torrente to discuss both music and thought. His is a concept born of thought, itself. But this is a story that needs a beginning. And that beginning is as follows...